Tony Dyson, a special effects expert who built the Star Wars R2-D2 robot, has been found dead in a house he owned on the Maltese island of Gozo, officials said on Friday.

Dyson was immensely proud of his work on Star Wars, and even set up an R2-D2 builders club in the UK so fans could craft their own astromechs. (Photo: Tony Dyson’s Facebook page)

Tony Dyson, a special effects expert who built the Star Wars R2-D2 robot, has been found dead in a house he owned on the Maltese island of Gozo, officials said on Friday.

The body of the 68-year-old Briton was discovered after friends alerted police that they had not seen him for a number of days, the Times of Malta reported. There was no immediate suspicion of foul play, the paper said.

Dyson’s website said he was commissioned to build eight different versions of the round-domed R2-D2 for the Star Wars film. “I can honestly say it was one of the most exciting periods of my life,” he said.